Chase Them Away
by Onee-san
Summary: Daddy has bad dreams, sometimes. Post Deathly Hallows, minor spoilers for the whole series.


Title: Chase Them Away

Words: 739

Characters: Lily Luna Potter, Harry Potter

Summary: Daddy has bad dreams, sometimes.

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I have bad dreams. Not always, but sometimes. I used to call them nightmares, but Daddy told me they're just bad dreams. He won't explain the difference, but my Daddy knows a lot so I believe him. Usually I'm lost or alone. Sometimes, a monster will chase me and scare me so bad I wake up crying. But Daddy will be there with a glass of water. "I'll chase them away," he promises. "Bad dreams aren't real. They can't hurt you. I won't let them." Then he kisses me on my head and smooths down my covers before he goes back to bed.

But Daddy has bad dreams sometimes, and they really scare him.

Al and James don't believe me, but it's true.

Mummy _does_ believe me, but she tells me not to wake him. She tells me to come get her if he's asleep and having a bad dream.

But Daddy chases away my bad dreams, so maybe I can chase his.

There are nights when he won't stop tossing and turning. I wake up to go to the bathroom and Mummy and Daddy's door will be open. He'll have twisted himself up in the blankets by the time Mummy wakes, sees me, and shoos me off to bed. All the while I can't understand how it took her so long to wake up.

I guess she must be used to it.

Sometimes he cries out in his sleep. I hear him, because my room is right across the hall and Mummy leaves my door open to let the hall light in. He shouts and screams and moans and cries. Once he even laughed a laugh I know wasn't his. It was high and joyless and sinister. Usually Mummy will put up Silencing Charms before he makes too much noise.

I guess she isn't used to that, yet.

The bad dreams are scariest at the end of spring. Daddy sleeps in the den so he won't wake us up, but I know he's there and having bad dreams so I check on him. He yells for Uncle Ron or Aunt Hermione. He growls hateful words that don't make sense, like, "You owe me, Wormtail!" He begs Mummy to not be dead. Sometimes he cries out James' middle name. I think he's dreaming of his Godfather. I never got to meet him. Daddy is so scared that I wake him so the bad dreams won't get him anymore. He startles before he sees me. Then he gives me a hug and carries me back upstairs to tuck me in.

There's a lock on the door to the den now. I guess he doesn't want to scare us.

The absolute worst is when he dreams he's a monster. I know that's what he's dreaming because of how he talks. He hisses and spits and snarls while he wriggles on the couch. I'm not sure what kind of monster he is, but he must really believe he is one because when I wake him up he screams. He dives to the ground and points his wand at me. I know he wouldn't do that unless he really thought he was a monster. My Daddy would never try to curse me, otherwise. He comes back to himself and sees me. He rubs the scar on his forehead while dropping his wand. Then he kneels down very slowly and looks me in the eye. "I'm sorry, love, I must have gave you a fright. Let's get you back into bed."

I don't know how to tell him I'm not scared, I just want to make the bad dreams go away.

Daddy tells me my bad dreams aren't real. If I cry out in my sleep because I'm scared he's there with a glass of water. Then he smooths down my covers and kisses me on the head. "Bad dreams aren't real," he says. "You don't have to be scared of them. I'll chase them away."

"But you're scared of your dreams. I can't chase yours away," I reply.

Daddy frowns when he looks at me, and his bright green eyes are sadder than anything I've ever seen.

"That's because my bad dreams are real, and can't be chased away," he says. Then he smiles. "But because mine are real, I've made sure yours never will be."

I've learned not to wake Daddy up anymore, because Daddy doesn't have bad dreams.

He has nightmares.

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A/N: Hope you all liked it. Just a brief exploration of PTSD symptoms seen from a child's perspective.


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